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An interesting comment from CPR: I can't speak for all white people, but I think white people want the Magic Negro because they want forgiveness. Obama's election and some of the incredibly weird things I heard some white people say about it made me realize that there is a fundamental injury that all americans carry with them (slavery and its aftermath) that has never been addressed adequately, and on the white side of the street, there is more unexplored/unexpressed guilt (which morphs into defensiveness or fear pretty easily) than I ever would have guessed. So in an archetypal way, the...

Ever since it was learned that radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was attempting to buy a share of the St. Louis Rams NFL franchise there has been a steady drumbeat to prevent this. The approach of those who oppose this is fairly predictable. They use race-baiting. There is a certain element in the United States – and you can add Western Europe – that labels as racism any criticism or parody of any issue or person who is African-American or Hispanic-American. Occasionally, this accusation is justified. Most of the time it is not, it is simply a smear tactic...

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The United States is the most admired country globally thanks largely to the star power of President Barack Obama and his administration, according to a new poll. It climbed from seventh place last year, ahead of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan which completed the top five nations in the Nation Brand Index (NBI). "What's really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009," said Simon Anholt, the founder...

The White House hired a private communications company based in Minnesota to distribute mass e-mails, helping to shed light on how some recipients received e-mails in support of President Obama's health care plan without signing up for them, FOX News has learned.

Morgan Freeman, 72, has allegedly been carrying on an affair with his step-granddaughter, E'Dena Hines, 27, according to the National Enquirer. The report alleges that the affair began when Hines was in her teens.

Turkish Flash T.V. MOCKS U.S President Obama

Barack Obama is a great pretender. He constantly says he's doing things that he isn't, and he relies on his powerful rhetoric to obscure the difference. He has made "responsibility" a personal theme, and the budget's cover line is "A New Era of Responsibility." He claims that the budget begins "making the tough choices necessary to restore fiscal discipline." It doesn't. If Obama were "responsible," he would be leading a candid conversation about government's size and role. Who deserves support and why? How big can government grow before higher taxes and deficits harm long-term economic growth? Although Obama claims to...

Chip Saltsman, the candidate for national Republican chairman who came under fire for distributing a holiday CD with the parody song “Barack the Magic Negro,” dropped out of the contest Thursday night. Mr. Saltsman, who is the Tennessee Republican chairman, sent an e-mail message to members of the Republican National Committee announcing his decision. The message made no mention of why he was dropping out, but Republicans have said for days that Mr. Saltsman was struggling to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The vote is on Friday in Washington. Mr. Saltsman was always viewed as something of...

"There is such excitement in this town, with millions coming in," gushed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was accepting an arts award Monday from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "All these people coming in to see me get this award, it makes me ecstatic," the governor joked to the mayors at the Capitol Hilton, with inaugural crowds filling the streets outside. Schwarzenegger was given the award for public leadership in the arts because of his support for art and music programs in the schools — programs that face cuts because of the state's budget crisis. The governor talked about the painting,...

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich doesn't have many friends these days, particularly among the lawmakers who will decide whether to throw him out of office.

The distribution of a song titled "Barack the Magic Negro" by a candidate for chairman of the national Republican Party has created an unnecessary distraction as the party rebuilds, Virginia GOP chairman Jeff Frederick said yesterday. "There's a lot of things we need to be fighting about, and this isn't one of them," Frederick said in an interview. On another matter, Frederick complained that critics of the Republican Party use a double standard when judging political outreach to minorities. Tennessee political operative Chip Saltsman, one of six candidates for the GOP's national chairmanship, mailed a CD last month to members...

Here's a debate that strikes a familiar chord. When do song lyrics that are meant to be entertaining hit a sour note and become offensive? Many conservatives think rap music crosses the line. In 1992, the rapper Ice-T released an album featuring the song "Cop Killer," which President George H.W. Bush called a threat to police officers. After law enforcement associations boycotted his record label, Time Warner, Ice-T pulled the song from the album. During those skirmishes in the culture wars, you would hear liberals defend the creative process, praise the First Amendment, and dismissively tell anyone who was offended...

The Republican Party paid a steep price for race-baiting in the presidential campaign. Remember the ferocious backlash against the California Republican group that produced a racist newsletter depicting Barack Obama on a food stamp, surrounded by images of fried chicken and watermelon? Then there were those two congressmen who were rightly excoriated for condemning Mr. Obama’s candidacy in the language of the Jim Crow South — one describing him as a “boy” and the other as “uppity.” We thought after all that — and, oh yes, losing the election — everyone in the Republican Party leadership would have figured out...

I’m afraid I must disagree with the great conservative writer Larry Elder, whose January 1 column (“Barack the Magic Negro-gate”) on the controversy surrounding would-be Republican National Committee chairman Chip Saltsman misses the point about why Saltsman’s actions were so misguided. Elder correctly notes that it was a black liberal writer, David Ehrenstein, who originally started the “Magic Negro” controversy with a March 2007 Los Angeles Times piece attacking Obama as a candidate whose hopes for victory depended upon exploiting white guilt. “The article produced virtually no outcry,” Elder writes. “Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh then aired a [Paul...

This is how the whole thing started. David Ehrenstein, a writer who happens to be black and liberal, wrote an opinion piece in March 2007 in the Los Angeles Times called "Obama the 'Magic Negro.'" He argued that whites, according to sociologists, stereotype blacks as "dangerous." But whites consider Obama accessible, likeable and "benign." This, according to Ehrenstein, explains Obama's "crossover" appeal. The article insults a) Obama, by virtually ignoring his effectiveness as a candidate, b) whites, by accusing them of voting for Obama merely to assuage their own guilt, and c) Sidney Poitier, the brilliant, groundbreaking actor, for ascribing...

Here's a debate that strikes a familiar chord. When do song lyrics that are meant to be entertaining hit a sour note and become offensive? Many conservatives think rap music crosses the line. In 1990, Republican officials in Broward County, Fla., declared obscene an album by the group 2 Live Crew and sheriff's deputies arrested members of the group after a performance. In 1992, the rapper Ice-T released an album featuring the song “Cop Killer,” which President George H.W. Bush called a threat to police officers. After law enforcement associations boycotted his record label, Time Warner, Ice-T pulled the song...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Democratic House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh is calling on Tennessee Republican leaders to renounce former state GOP leader Chip Saltsman in the wake of a music parody of President-elect Barack Obama. . . . He sent committee members a CD this Christmas featuring a 2007 song called "Barack the Magic Negro." The parody is sung to the music of "Puff, the Magic Dragon."

The media created controversy surrounding a comedy CD distributed by Republican National Committee chair candidate Chip Saltsman has not torpedoed his bid and might have inadvertently helped it. Four days after news broke that the former Tennessee GOP chairman had sent a CD that included a song titled “Barack the Magic Negro” to the RNC members he is courting, some of those officials are rallying around the embattled Saltsman, with a few questioning whether the national media and his opponents are piling on. “When I heard about the story I had to figure out what was going on for myself,”...

AS EVERY CARBON-BASED life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, is running for president. Since making his announcement, there has been no end of commentary about him in all quarters — musing over his charisma and the prospect he offers of being the first African American to be elected to the White House.

The GOP has once again shown why it is the stupid party. Chip Salsman wants to run the GOP, so he plied potential voters with a Paul Shanklin CD that included the song "Barack the Magic Negro." It is a political parody based upon an LA Times opinion piece of the same name. The leadership was caught flat-footed and red-handed, and is now scrambling, crab-like, to defend itself. Here's part of the hollow, vacuous statement from flaccid, ineffectual party chairman Mike Duncan: "I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move...

Parody author defends 'Barack the Magic Negro' December 29, 2008 12:35 EST MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The Memphis author of the musical parody "Barack the Magic Negro" says he isn't surprised the song has gotten some people upset. Author Paul Shanklin describes the song as political satire and says it's supposed to be provocative. The song, which is sung to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon, has drawn attention and criticism since Chip Saltsman -- the former head of the Republican Party in Tennessee -- sent out a CD with the song on it as Christmas presents. Saltsman managed...

The chairman of the Republican National Committee said he was "appalled" by a song called "Barack the Magic Negro" on a CD distributed by one of his political rivals. "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement reported Saturday afternoon by Politico. "I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction." Chip Saltsman sent RNC members the parody CD "We Hate the USA" for Christmas, which includes...

The chairman of the Republican National Committee said he was "appalled" by a song called "Barack the Magic Negro" on a CD distributed by one of his political rivals. "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement reported Saturday afternoon by Politico. "I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction." Chip Saltsman sent RNC members the parody CD "We Hate the USA" for Christmas, which includes...

Being right on the merits doesn't make Saltsman any less of an idiot Two days ago, we suggested that a potential GOP leader is severely tone-deaf, hitting Chip Saltsman for his foolish decision to include the "magic negro" song on the CD his people sent out.We were not saying Saltsman was a racist, or commneting on the merits of the song. We were saying he should have seen this firestorm coming.Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association, just sent out an email defending Saltsman on the merits. Included therein is the following: If it were not so hypocritical,...

An offensive, racially tinged song entitled Barack the Magic Negro has become an issue in the battle for the leadership of the Republican party. The song was included in a CD distributed by Chip Saltman, who is seeking to be elected the next party chairman. Saltman, former campaign manager for Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who fought unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination this year, sent out the CD as a Christmas present to party members. It is a compilation of songs critical of liberals entitled We Hate the US. He defended his move, saying that anyone listening to...

The Chip Saltsman/RNC Chair mini-scandal may prove to be more important than I initially thought. As is often the case in these matters, the specific incident is less important than the responses. Recently, it has appeared that (partly as a result of Katon Dawson and Chip Saltsman coming under fire over racial issues) former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackell (disclosure: I am supporting Blackwell), had emerged from the pack to become a front-runner for RNC Chair. ... Still, though, the smart money was on current RNC Chair Mike Duncan to retain his position. But in the wake of the...

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – The National Council of La Raza spends most of its time protecting and advancing the rights of Latinos through advocacy and community work. But as it wraps up its convention downtown, it has found itself defending its name. That's because activists who oppose illegal immigration are saying in e-mails, during street protests and through the media that “La Raza” means “The Race,” and have been calling the organization a hate group. The accusations have prompted soul-searching among NCLR supporters as to what the name actually means and stands for. Most say the situation is the result...

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Traveling though Montana on Monday, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., made his first stop as a presidential candidate to an Indian reservation - and got a little more than expected. Obama was adopted as an honorary member into the family within the Crow tribe that inhabited the reservation - who gave the presidential candidate a new name and new parents. "Awe Kooda bilaxpak Kuuxshish" was the honorary name given to Obama meaning, "one who helps people throughout the land." Obama was escorted out to the stage in Crow Agency, Montana arm-in-arm between his adopted parents: Sunny...

Political strategists today were quick to parse how Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's sweeping speech about race and the American experience may affect his campaign to become the nation's first black presidential nominee. But among African-American scholars and leaders, the post-speech talk wasn't of polls and focus groups but of witnessing history. Obama's words—about slavery, black anger, white resentment, and the imperative to move forward—harked back, they said, to those of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, and they deserve a similar place in history. "This was his kairos moment," said the Rev. Alton Pollard, dean of Howard University's School...

Now that Sen. John McCain has clinched the GOP nomination, an 800-pound political elephant looms in the room. Will America stick with 220 years of tradition and elect as our next president a white male — in this case, a 71-year-old senator and decorated war hero? Or does Barack Obama — an energetic, visionary, 46-year-old African-American senator from Illinois with no prior military service — have a shot at the brass ring? While I do not count Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) out of the race, Obama is leading in pledged delegates, and Democrats would be committing political suicide with...

Sen. Barack Obama promised to cut greenhouse gases during a pair of speeches today in College Park, Maryland, and Baltimore. Obama, a Democrat seeking his party's nomination in tomorrow's (2/11/08) Maryland primaries, didn't tiptoe around the issue of climate change. Three times during a speech before about 20,000 enthusiastic supporters at the University of Maryland's Comcast basketball arena, he insisted the time has come for action. "We cannot wait to stop global warming," Obama said. "We cannot wait to fix this country." He pledged to put mandatory caps on carbon dioxide emissions from industry. And he talked about it often...

BROKEN RECORD? | 'He's been condemned without a trial,' civil rights leader says So what if Barry Bonds is the poster child for the Steroids Era? Should it be a wanted poster? And even if his pursuit of the most cherished record in American sports is the culmination of the two-decade period of unparalleled power in the game, what about the hundreds of players who actually tested positive for performance enhancers in the 4½ years big-league baseball had a testing program? And what about cheating by stealing signs, or throwing spitballs or using corked bats? And what about all the...

<p>WASHINGTON - A major Indian-American organization yesterday accused Barack Obama's presidential campaign of "engaging in the worst kind" of stereotyping for slamming Bill and Hillary Clinton's close ties to India.</p> <p>Obama's team circulated an opposition research memo Thursday, hours after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's congressional financial disclosure forms were made public. The statement accused the former first couple of reaping "significant financial rewards from their relationship with the Indian community." The Obama memo bashed Bubba for investing in companies that ship U.S. jobs to India, and accused his wife of raking in gobs of campaign cash from Indian-Americans and favoring Indian businesses over heartland jobs. It labeled her "Sen. Clinton (D-Punjab)."</p>

According to the latest Public Policy Polling survey of likely South Carolina primary voters, Sen. Barack Obama leads the Democratic presidential race with the support of 34%, trailed by Sen. Hillary Clinton with 31% and John Edwards with 15%. On the GOP side, Fred Thompson leads his rivals with 27%, followed by Mitt Romney at 16%, Sen. John McCain at 15%, Rudy Giuliani at 14% and Newt Gingrich at 11%

CHICAGO -- When former talk radio host Don Imus recently made racist remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team on his radio show, he lost his job. Now, some are wondering if radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has also gone too far, NBC5 reported on Monday. Weeks before Imus controversy, Limbaugh began airing a song about Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president. The song, a parody of the folk song "Puff The Magic Dragon," contains the line, "Barack, The Magic Negro." Some have begun to wonder if Limbaugh has been getting a...

'Today’ Show to Report on Rush Limbaugh’s ‘Barack the ‘Magic Negro’’ Parody Posted by Noel Sheppard on May 19, 2007 - 19:47. Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh reported on air and at his website Friday that NBC’s “Today” show is going to do a segment Monday regarding his musical parody “Barack the ‘Magic Negro’” (audio available here, subscription required): Now, this first aired on March 21st. This is May 18th. By the time they get around to doing their profile, it will be two months old as a story. Interesting point. After all, Obama himself shrugged this whole...

Let's recap: Don Imus referred to a group of African-American women as "nappy-headed hos" and was criticized, berated and, eventually, fired. Shortly after, two radio DJs in Pennsylvania were fired for encouraging listeners to repeat Imus' remarks. And this week, two New York City DJs were fired after making racist remarks against Asians. Meanwhile, we have Rush Limbaugh, who is proudly airing the work of Paul Shanklin, a conservative commentator and impressionist and a regular on Limbaugh's syndicated radio show (which airs 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays on KTRH-AM 740). Both are white. The piece is crude, over the top and...

The following is an editorial from DVRepublic, “The liberated zone of cyberspace.” Movies' "Magic Negro" Saves The Day -- But At The Cost Of His Soul by Rita Kempley Morgan Freeman plays God in "Bruce Almighty;" Laurence Fishburne a demigod in "The Matrix Reloaded," and Queen Latifah a ghetto goddess in "Bringing Down the House. " What's the deal with the holy roles? Every one of the actors has to help a white guy find his soul or there won't be a happy ending. Bruce (Jim Carrey) won't get the girl. Neo (Keanu Reeves) won't become the next Messiah. And...

There's a brouhaha brewing over a parody composed and performed by Paul Shanklin for the Rush Limbaugh show. Albeit liberals across their "conflicted" divide are in a blather, feigning insult and indignation, in the mind of this essayist, liberal Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama must be a "magic Negro" if we are to believe certain of his claims and things on which he is still unchallenged. We understand that the idea of elutriating the airwaves of those they deem unfit is not "dernier cri" amongst the pantheon of liberals who have given themselves to defending America against rational, cogent and...

"Do you guys do ANY research before reporting a Non-Story, or do you just stick your finger in the air?" - Roger Andersen "Much ado about nothing. A slow news day out there?"- Todd Wilson "No, Rush Limbaugh's parody Barack the Magic Negro is not racist. It's HUMOR!!"- Mary Jo Robbins "You guys need to get a life!!! Quit being offended at evertthing you think you know about!!! The media attempts to try and fool people that they are the expert on everything, you like to point the finger at everbody. What about looking at yourselves!!- Ben "As a frequent...

YouTube has apparently posted a racist video using Rush's audio spoof "Barak The Magic Negro." Rush just said "Take It Down Now!!! Let's see what happens now.

CBS13 Sacramento, CA is trying to claim Rush Limbaugh's parity of the LA Times "Magic Negro" comment is racist. Go there and free them poll. It's on the right hand sidebar. It asks: Is Rush Limbaugh's "Barack The Magic Negro" song racist? http://cbs13.com/ You can also watch their story on this at their website. It's at the top of the page.

Concerns about Sen. Barack Obama's safety that led to him getting a Secret Service detail "had a lot to do with race," Sen. Dick Durbin said Friday. "I wished we lived in a country where that is not a problem, but it still is," Durbin said. "The fact that Barack Obama is such a highly visible African-American candidate, I think increases his vulnerability." Obama, vying to become America's first black president, received his Secret Service protection Thursday. It was earlier than any other presidential candidate, excluding Hillary Clinton, who is protected as a former first lady. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,...

due to a threat.

WASHINGTON —  A Chicago artist hopes his creation of Democratic White House hopeful Sen. as Jesus will bring attention to politics and religion. The exhibit, titled "Blessing," shows Obama cloaked in white and red robes with a neon halo, is on display at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Click here to watch the video report from FOX News Chicago.

I have a friend who could very well be a speechwriter for Barack Obama. Although I consider her a liberal, I'm sure she regards herself as a moderate. To prove it, she makes a point of condemning politicians of both parties as partisan hacks. Actually, with precious few exceptions, I agree with her. However, she likes to say she wishes that those on the Left and those on the Right could put their differences aside and come together for the sake of the country. It sounds so nice and reasonable, just like the bilge coming out of one of Sen....

If President Bush vetoes an Iraq war spending bill as promised, Congress quickly will provide the money without the withdrawal timeline the White House objects to because no lawmaker "wants to play chicken with our troops," Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - If President Bush vetoes an Iraq war spending bill as promised, Congress quickly will provide the money without the withdrawal timeline the White House objects to because no lawmaker "wants to play chicken with our troops," Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) said Sunday.

Friends - More and more, Virginians understand that Democrats are working together for smarter government that works for Virginians. And we've succeeded: Under Democratic leadership, we have accomplished so much, like Forbes.com naming us "the best state for business" and Education Week publishing a survey that shows children born in Virginia have a better chance for life success than those born in any other state in this nation. Today, more than ever, this nation needs a results-oriented President with the values and vision to move this country forward the way we've moved Virginia forward. I endorsed Senator Barack Obama in...

The headlines may proclaim that Hillary Clinton set a record for fund-raising in the first quarter of the year, and that she out-raised Obama. The New York Times, for instance, said, "Clinton Campaign Shows Fund-Raising Edge" But go beneath the raw data and a different victor emerges. Obama is the winner of fund raising first quarter race. He raised over 20 million, Hillary raised 26. But much of her money was in $4600 slices: 2300 for the primary election, 2300 for general election. Since she already announced that she will not take federal money for general election, she was free...